Sweet Blindness
by wanderingassassin
Summary: Li Syaoran and Kinomoto Sakura are in college, but on completely opposite sides of the social scale. So what will happen when Syaoran AKA The Geek, move in as Sakura's new roommate?
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes:** Well, everyone goes through the teenage fiction stage, and so did I. This was something I cooked up a fair while back out of a whim. Hope you all enjoy it and review when you're done.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the anime Card Captor Sakura, nor the characters within it. I do however, own this story, so be kind and do not steal it. No profit is being made from this work of fiction.

**Summary:** Li Syaoran and Kinomoto Sakura are in college, but on completely opposite sides of the social scale. So what will happen when Syaoran AKA The Geek, move in as Sakura's new roommate?

**Sweet Blindness**

Prologue

'Finally!' An excited girl with waist length auburn hair and large emerald eyes breathed excitedly as she neared the tall, historical looking building with it's grand looking architecture, and the sweeping lawns where several students were sitting around on, enjoying a nice chat. The front doors of the building was opened wide while hundreds of noisy students slowly walked through, every one of them busily chatting carelessly with one another.

'Sakura-chan!' The girl with the fawn colored hair turned to see a tall girl running over from the large front gates where a limousine was quickly disappearing from sight. The girl called Sakura smiled, and waved at her friend as she rushed over happily with a miniature digital video camera slung around her neck like a necklace.

'Ohayo! Tomoyo-chan!' Sakura greeted when her friend finally made it over. Tomoyo smiled, her amethyst eyes twinkling as she twirled her fingers around a few strands of her raven colored hair. It has been several years since Sakura last saw Tomoyo. In the time between, Tomoyo had been in America studying school there along with her mother whose base company had moved to Los Angeles.

'My Sakura-chan, you have grown!' It was true, Sakura had grown perhaps a foot since Tomoyo had last seen her, and far more radiant then she was then. However, just like when Sakura was still only ten years of age, Sakura still stood now seventeen years later with much of her innocence and childhood playfulness.

'So have you,' Sakura pointed out, marveling at how much Tomoyo had grown, and how beautiful Tomoyo had become. Tomoyo laughed as Sakura walked a circle around her, observing every part of her best friend. Sakura smiled when she finished, commenting on how Tomoyo had grown into a woman. Tomoyo just laughed and filmed Sakura's expression as she told her that she too, had grown into a stunning young woman.

Sakura and Tomoyo continued their reunion chat as they climbed the stairs leading up to the front entrance of the building, went through the building following the crowd in front of them, and finally arrived at the desks where their names were checked off, and were given timetables for when their classes were and their room numbers. Sakura and Tomoyo continued to chat while inspecting their timetables as they went outside again on the other side of the building and wandered around the university where they were going to be studying at.

'So what are you studying, Tomoyo-chan?' Sakura asked as they walked past a large fountain of a beautiful marble mermaid singing on a rock with water sprouting out of her tail which was pointed up high. Around the mermaid were several other water underwater fountains where jets of water were being projected to the sky.

'I'm studying for a degree in psychology,' Tomoyo announced, 'I thought that was going to be a nice subject after I finished psychology back in Los Angeles.'

'Really? You can help me with my psychological problems then.' Sakura said brightly, 'I'm studying commerce.'

'Oh, economy freak are we Sakura-chan?' Tomoyo asked with much raising of her eyebrows.

'Yes, well I did business management and economy when I was in high school, so decided I should continue with it.'

'Ne Sakura-chan,' Tomoyo's eyes were suddenly sparkling as her voice took on an innocent, curious tone, 'do you have a boyfriend?'

'Me, boyfriend?' Sakura shook her head, 'I don't have a boyfriend.'

'Aw, Sakura-chan, I'm sure you have a boyfriend.' Tomoyo pouted.

'Oni-chan and otou-san wouldn't allow me to have a boyfriend while I was in high school, so I'm going to get myself a boyfriend here if I find someone.'

'Aw! So cute Sakura-chan!' Tomoyo smiled, filing Sakura once again.

_Somewhere not so far away…_

'So this is where I'll be studying huh?' A man with chestnut colored hair that was slicked back by large amounts of gel, and amber eyes that were hidden behind his thick glasses murmured as he stood outside an impressive looking building with its sweeping lawns and grand air. Hundreds of students were currently wandering around the campus, either chatting busily with a friend, or walking purposefully alone. As for him, he walked on by himself, holding his suitcase in his right hand and several books in his left. Most of the students wandering around now wouldn't be holding suitcases, it was too early to be moving in. But he had just arrived from Hong Kong, and he hardly had a place to stay for the night other then his room at the university Dormitories.

'Hey watch it geek!' A guy with dark hair yelled irritably as he brushed past the boy holding the suitcase. The man apologized quickly, turning back quickly to continue his journey to the orientation room where he would get his name checked off, receive his timetable, room number and keys. His amber eyes flashed behind his thick glasses as he continued to move down the path, nearing a flight of stairs. A silence suddenly overcame the area, and the man noticed as people started to clear out of his path, moving as far away from him as they could.

The man was surprised; this was a strange maneuver. By now, everyone was standing at least ten meters away from him, gathering in huddles on either side of him. He stopped suddenly, sensing the tension in the air. Then…

'What do we have here,' he turned, hearing the masculine voice coming from behind him to see a tall, muscular man with gray eyes and black hair standing only a meter or so from him.

'My name is Li Syaoran,' the man with the chestnut hair said good-naturedly. In his mind, he knew that this man standing before him probably didn't care for his name, but wanted to bully him or something of the like. But Syaoran stood his ground and tried his best to look innocent and weak, after all, he had promised his mother that he would not get into trouble, and that was a promise he was going to keep. More like, that was a promise that was made by Syaoran's own pride; he wasn't just going to keep his promise, he was going to prove himself to his mother.

'It looks like another, typical geek.' The crowd burst into laughter while Syaoran felt his face burn, but kept his ground, 'just a geek! Oh, I see the geek is already moving in two weeks before term begins, is it because the geek has no home to stay at?'

Syaoran chose not to answer that question, but stared at the man's eyes.

'Oh, so he really doesn't have a home. Oh, so what does little Syaoran have inside his suitcase huh?' He reached over to grab Syaoran's suitcase, but Syaoran resisted. Syaoran wasn't a weakling after all, he had trained for years how to wield a sword, many styles of martial arts. Syaoran was a lethal weapon, when he wanted to be.

'I'm sorry, I have to go and get my name checked off.' Syaoran said, turning and running into the building. Behind him, he heard the man growl something along the lines of "you'd better run geek." He sighed, this was going to be a few very long years.

_To be Continued..._

Hope you enjoyed that, please review.


	2. Chapter One

**Author's Notes:** Sorry for the relatively long update people. Was stuck in work...sort of. I know, lame excuse, especially since everybody knows that I don't ever do work. But hey, I can dream, can't I? Okay, Okay, I was supposedly stuck in work, being that I had three tests in the same week and then results at the same time. I'm not going to disclose my results, because they were so horrid, they should never be seen again. I mean come on! Calculus is easy, the calculus test was easy, but they gave me a bloody "High"! I deserved a better mark, especially since I made like one mistake in that test which cost me one god damned mark, one!

Attempts to rein self back into the land of the sane

Anyways, hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's not glorifying for either Syaoran or Sakura, but it'll that will end soon-ish. Keep in mind that this is a college fic, so really, there are no antagonists, just some who are hormonally charged, some who has poles shoved up their asses (excuse the colloquialism, I know it's crude) and some who are just plain unlucky.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the anime Card Captor Sakura, nor the characters within it. I do however, own this story, so be kind and do not steal it. No profit is being made from this work of fiction.

**Summary:** Li Syaoran and Kinomoto Sakura are in college, but on completely opposite sides of the social scale. So what will happen when Syaoran AKA The Geek, move in as Sakura's new roommate?

**Sweet Blindness**

Chapter One  


_Three years later_

'You are what?' A shocked Sakura asked as she stood at the doorway of her two-roomed university flat. It was true, her original roommate had moved out since she graduated from the university, but Sakura never expected what was now standing on her porch now.

'I'm moving in with you.' A twenty-one-year-old Syaoran stated, smiling nicely. Sakura grunted in disgust, "the geek" was going to be her roommate?

'Honestly, there is no way that I am going to share my flat with you.' Sakura stated firmly, blocking the entrance.

'I have a notice of ownership,' Syaoran stated, holding up the piece of paper that the school had given him, 'from this day onwards, your flat is also my flat.'

'But,' Sakura was distort, she didn't want to share her flat with this person, that would destroy her reputation, 'but.'

'I'll comply by your wishes and agree to whatever rules you have Sakura-san,' Syaoran said, brushing past Sakura and entering the flat, 'as long as it is within reason of course.'

'I suppose telling you to leave is beyond reason right?' Sakura mumbled irritably, shutting the door with a snap. Syaoran smiled, not an arrogant smile or a smug smile, just a smile of peace. Sakura ignored him as he looked around her flat, another school flat similar to his own. Of course, a new person had arrived and his old roommate had hurriedly seized the opportunity to get rid of him. Syaoran didn't care, he only had a year left to study here anyway, then he could return to Hong Kong.

'Rules, okay.' Sakura pointed at what Syaoran assumed was now going to be his room, 'you must stay in that room, coming out only extremely late at night. If it is because you need to use the bathroom, then you have to make sure there is nobody else here besides me. I don't care if you kill your bladder or anything trying to hold your trip to the bathroom, but there is NO WAY that you come out unless there is no one else here, understood?'

'Yes, Sakura-san.'

'You better leave really early because I don't want to see you, and only enter when there is no one here. I don't care if that means you'll have to stand outside for hours, but I don't want my friends to see that you are living with me, understood.'

'Yes, Sakura-san.' Syaoran agreed once again without another thought. Sakura stared oddly at him, definitely thinking it was odd that he was objecting towards any of her rules. Syaoran just smiled, it may be difficult keeping to these terms, but he didn't want to cause Sakura any trouble, besides, he had signed a unwritten peace contract with his mother before he came, and there was no way he was going to go against that, especially after three years of hard work trying to keep by it.

'Another rule, when my friends are here, you are not to come out at all, nor to make a sound that suggests that you are in there. I don't mind typing or writing or stuff like that as long as it's soft and barely audible. But you are not to have any music in there, or anything else like that. And finally, when we are at college, you do not talk to me or show any recognition towards me at all, understand?' Sakura asked, emphasizing on her every word.

'Yes, I understand Sakura-san,' Syaoran smiled, 'is there a chore contract or anything like that?'

'No because you are not to contribute in any way towards any of these rooms, except your own. And if you are wondering about cooking, then you do that when I am asleep or not home. Otherwise, just eat out okay?'

'Sure.' Syaoran smiled, then entered his room with his suitcase and other belongings and closed the door behind him. Sakura didn't want her friends to know that he was here, that was normal. She had set out some very cruel rules, but that was alright. All these rules revolved around another obstacle for him to overcome, and he was going to overcome them.

He stared at his room, it wasn't too bad. He had a large window at the far end of the room facing the large Grande Park, that was draped with thick curtains. Just below the window was a large desk, and to the right of that, a single bed. There was nothing else in the room besides the power points, phone line and such. Syaoran sighed, he wasn't going to be using that phone line anyways, well, except when he received a call which was once every half a year from his mother. He never received any other calls, he didn't have that many friends - not here anyways.

From within his suitcase, Syaoran pulled out his textbooks, exercise books and pens, his desk lamp and alarm clock, his quilts, pillows and clothes. From another bag, Syaoran pulled out his state of the art wide screen laptop, something nobody knew he had. After all, Syaoran may look like a poor boy who could barely afford the clothes he wore, but he was in fact the heir to an extremely rich and possibly the richest family in Hong Kong. Even at that, he didn't want people to find out; that would peacekeeping difficult, and behaving even harder.

After sorting out his belongings, Syaoran sat down at the table and began to work. He was studying medicine here in Sannonmiya University, one of the best universities on the planet. Originally, Syaoran might have gone to some high-class university with snobby students who bragged about how many roller coasters they had and how many banks were named after them. But Syaoran didn't like that life, he wanted to live normally, experience the schooling just as a normal child would have gone through. That was why he came to this university, and although he wasn't treated well and didn't have very many rights, he was still satisfied…in a twisted kind of way.

Outside his room, Syaoran heard the door open and close and a new voice fill the place. It was a fair-toned, almost comforting female voice that Syaoran had heard once before, though he couldn't remember where. He could hear Sakura and the other girl talk, and laugh. The stove went on and so did the television, and the two girls' voices were lost in the noise that filled the room. Syaoran sighed and went back to work; he had a lot of notes to learn, and then further his knowledge. Then, when he finally graduates, he would be able to tell his mother how much he had learned at a normal college, both about the course he was studying as well as the middle class people.

Syaoran continued reading and studying till late at night. When he was satisfied with his progress for the day, he left his room, made sure the coast was clear, and headed for the bathroom.

The bathroom was extremely feminine with the pink towels and all the makeup that was placed over the sink. Syaoran made a small room for himself while he brushed his teeth and washed his face, then returned back to his room where he dropped off his toothbrush, toothpaste and face towel, changed into his pajamas and fell asleep.

Beep beep

Syaoran fumbled in the dark for his alarm clock, finally making contact with it and switching it off. He yawned, it was only five thirty, but he needed to go for a run around the park, return and have a shower, finish his breakfast, and leave for school before Sakura woke up. That was part of her requirements after all, for her and Syaoran to have as little contact with one another as possible, and he was happy to fulfill that. Though the stress of only six hours of sleep was still tugging at his eyes, and forcing him to constantly yawn.

Syaoran changed into his soccer t-shirt and navy track suit pants. He slipped on his trainers, removed his glasses and applied use of his contacts. His hair was no longer lying dully flat, but lying messily on his head, brushing past his eyes every so often. Syaoran sighed; his hair was always in the way, one reason he had compromised with using gel.

Picking up his keys from his desk, Syaoran exited his room as softly as he could, closing the door behind him. As he passed the lounge to the front door, he noticed that a girl with long raven colored hair was sleeping peacefully on the couch. He smiled at the idea that Sakura had allowed her to sleep there, never minding that her friend may have seen him. Without another thought, Syaoran exited the flat, locking the door behind him with a light click.

Outside, the city of Tokyo was still in darkness save for the lights coming from houses and buildings. The city was uncharacteristically quiet, with only the odd few cars starting to roll on the streets. In less then half an hour's time, the population would start to wake, and by seven o'clock, the city would be alive with the noise of everyone within it. As for Syaoran, he had to leave the flat again by seven because he was quite sure Sakura and her friend would start to awake at around seven thirty or eight. That was when most students in college seemed to get up at anyway.

A sharp breeze blew past as Syaoran crossed the street to the park where he did a few stretches, then took off to running around the park. At this time, the only things guiding Syaoran's way as he ran on through and around the park was the many light posts. He didn't normally leave this early to run, it was usually a run at around six thirty, then a shower and leaving for the library to study at around eight thirty. Syaoran's classes were centralized mainly in the later part of the day, so the mornings were normally when he would exercise and study.

Syaoran always ran twice around the park route, which was a total of four kilometers. This normally took Syaoran around half an hour, sometimes more, sometimes less. He was a fairly fit person, but was gradually loosing his touch from a long period of no extreme exercise. That was perhaps another thing he was looking for; in the holidays, he was going to go skiing and snowboarding. Syaoran used to enjoy those activities a lot, though he wasn't sure whether his present body would take the strain of such activities. After all, in his opinion, Syaoran's current fitness level was barely half of what it was before.

Without another thought, Syaoran began his run. These early morning runs were amongst the few things that kept him from breaking his contract with his mother. It was true, he had promised to be good, to not get into trouble. It had been three years now, and Syaoran was still doing great where the contract was concerned. Sometimes, it cost him great will power to keep from punching some person who was teasing. But these early morning exercises kept him from becoming a complete loony and breaking all out on some sardonic student who probably didn't know any words that exceeded five letters in length.

As he ran, he heard the sounds of cars and noises starting to fill the quiet city. The skyline began to brighten, and the streetlamps gradually flickered and died. Checking his wristwatch, a real Rolex, he found that it was five forty-five. It seemed that he was making good time, because he had already completely one lap and a quarter. He figured that he should leave the apartment and head for the library by around six thirty. Neither Sakura nor her friend would have woken up by then, at least, he hoped they wouldn't.

Finishing off his run, Syaoran headed back to his shared flat. When he opened the door, he found that everything was exactly as he had left it. Sakura's friend didn't even appear to have moved at all, save for her quilt which lay in a crumpled mess on the floor. Thinking that she would probably catch a cold, he sighed to himself and moved over to pull the covers over her again. She stirred a bit, but did not wake to Syaoran's relief.

Striding inside his room, he rummaged for a moment for his showering equipment. After several minutes, he reemerged and headed for the bathroom. He supposed that if he was to have a shower, the sound would probably travel and wake both Sakura and her friend up. But he really didn't have a choice, after all, he couldn't really go to class today smelling like sweat.

Once again, he made himself a small bit of room in the feminine bathroom to brush his teeth. Glancing over at the mirror, he met the face of an alert twenty-one year old man with a pair of fiery amber eyes, and messy chestnut hair which refused to lie flat. Removing his clothes, he turned on the shower and stepped in, attempting to make as little noise as possible.

His shower was quick, taking a total of barely ten minutes. Dressing himself quickly, Syaoran grabbed his bath gear and headed quietly back to his room. As he passed the lounge, he cast Sakura's friend a nervous glance. She was still sleeping, but it appeared that her quilt had fallen again. Dropping off his things, Syaoran tiptoed over and pulled the blankets over her once more.

Syaoran saw her mouth curve into a most devious smile, and to his horror, her eyes snapped open to reveal a pair of sparkling sapphire orbs, both of which were staring at him with malice. Syaoran backed a few steps, hoping that she would perhaps fall asleep, but he knew it was an impossible hope. Nonetheless, he didn't want Sakura to kick him out already, when not even a day had yet passed.

'I was wondering who was the kind person who had pulled the blankets over before.' She said in a matter of fact manner, sitting up on the couch, 'at first, I thought it was Sakura, but I didn't see her at all. Then I heard the shower, which really confused me because no one in the flat ever showered this early in the morning. I must say though, I never expected it to be you.'

'Me?' Syaoran asked anxiously, laughing nervously, 'do you even know who I am? If you don't, don't worry about it. Nothing happened, it's all good. You go on back to sleep, er…'

'It's Tomoyo,' she introduced, 'Daidouji Tomoyo. And I do know who you are, you're Li Syaoran from medicine class right? My boyfriend knows you.'

'Oh, really.' Syaoran was really anxious now, 'um…say, Daidouji -'

'Tomoyo.'

'Tomoyo-san, um, can you do me a favor and not mention this to Sakura-san. I'm afraid she doesn't quite like the idea that I am staying in the same flat as her, and she would really hate if she knew her friends found out. Won't you do me a favor and just fall back asleep, and not mention any of this to her at all?'

'Sure Li-kun,' Tomoyo smiled, 'I know Sakura can be a bit cruel, but she really is a good girl, you know that right?'

'Don't get me wrong, I don't mind at all.' Syaoran said quickly, waving his hands around in defense, 'it's just that she doesn't want anyone to know that I'm here. You know, being that I am not exactly on the top of the popularity barrel. I think she will be happier if this news didn't get out.'

'Don't worry Li-kun,' Tomoyo smiled again, 'you can count on me, I won't tell Sakura.'

'Thanks.' Syaoran thanked, turning to go to the kitchen. Since Tomoyo knew he was here, then it probably wouldn't do much harm if he cooked here. And Sakura was probably still sleeping…hopefully.

'Li-kun?'

'Yea?'

'About Sakura,' Tomoyo's smile faded, 'she's really a good person. She just…lost control of life. She's really quite lonely, at least, I really think so. She's let herself become something she's not, and it's really unbecoming of her. However, you won't hold it against her would you?'

'Of course not.' Syaoran said while cooking himself some instant noodles, 'I told you before didn't I? I'm not holding any of this against her at all.'

'What has she got you to do?' Tomoyo asked dully, walking over to sit at the table, 'oh, and can you cook me some noodles too?'

'Sure.' Syaoran said cheerily, putting in another bag of noodles. Looking in the fridge, he found some eggs and vegetables, so decided to cook them with it too, 'and she hasn't said much, just that I can't let anyone see me come out of this flat or let anyone see me here and the like.'

'But, doesn't that irritate you at all?' Tomoyo asked, her voice incredulous.

'It doesn't really matter,' Syaoran's voice was cold for a moment, 'I really don't care.'

The amethyst eyed maiden stared at him oddly for a moment, though Syaoran brushed it off with a small smile. It was obvious she found him a little odd, though she wasn't the only one. Not that it mattered. What other people thought of him were their opinions and he didn't have anything against that, and even if he did, he still had that peace treaty to keep.

'Li-kun, do you happen to know Eriol?' Tomoyo asked conversationally while taking a seat at the dining table. Syaoran thought for a moment, trying to recall the name.

'Ah yes! Hiiragizawa-san from medicine,' he smiled, 'he's a nice guy. Indeed, he's the only one who would hold a civilized conversation with me.'

'It must be hard for you Li-kun,' Tomoyo's voice was sympathetic, 'although, if you walked around college like that, I doubt you'd be called the geek for a moment longer.'

'I'd rather be called a geek than attract a whole lot of attention,' Syaoran poured the noodles, eggs and vegetables inside two separate bowls and moved on to applying seasonings and other flavorings, 'at least nobody bothers to bash me up anymore.'

'Why do you put up with it?' Tomoyo asked curiously, 'you're obviously a fit person who can definitely punch the living daylights out of some of those bullies, not to mention you really don't look half bad without your gel and glasses, so why do you put up with it?'

'It's a personal issue.' The amber eyed teen stated sharply, not wishing to go into any greater detail. He sensed Tomoyo's alarm at his sudden change in tone and smiled at her, apologizing while he was at it. She waved it aside, though her face bore a slightly calculating look.

Moving over to the dining table, Syaoran set the two bowls down and handed Tomoyo a pair of chopsticks while leaving a pair next to his own bowl. She thanked him politely as he took a seat next to her, which he responded in an equally polite way. The rest of breakfast passed in silence.

When they were done, Syaoran packed the dishes and cleaned them thoroughly and deposited them in the cupboards. Tomoyo was still staring at him with the same calculating look, and Syaoran was beginning to feel nervous under her gaze. It was almost like that of his mother's. Polite, innocent, but penetratingly shrewd which left him with the feeling of his mind being read. All he could hope for was that Tomoyo didn't manage to track down his family roots, though the girl looked perceptive enough to connect him with the famous heir, especially after seeing him this morning.

'Well Tomoyo-san,' Syaoran begun hesitantly, 'I better be going now, before Sakura-san wakes up. Please don't mention this to her though.'

'Don't worry Li-kun,' Tomoyo smiled sweetly, 'I won't speak a word.'

Dashing inside his room, Syaoran changed, exchanged his contacts for glasses and forced his hair flat with an excessive amount of gel. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he exited his room, bade Tomoyo goodbye and left with less confidence in himself than he normally had.

Tomoyo continued watching Syaoran dash off for a moment after, her hands resting against the door frame. A small smile curved across her lips. Syaoran Li had proved to be a much more interesting character than she had thought, perhaps he really did have something to hide.

_To be continued..._

I hope you all enjoyed that chapter, and yes, well all know Syaoran has something to hide. As for Sakura, well, she was kind of bitchy...but bear with me for a little while longer and both would go away. After all, I kind stand to have poor Syaoran badly treated any more than you guys can.

Assassin


	3. Chapter Two

**Author's Notes:** This chapter is kind of angsty, not that the previous chapter wasn't annoying so to speak, but this one is angsty. Once more, there is more Sakura bitchiness, but oh well, someone has to do it. Once again, she will get better, hopefully. I mean, she will get better, but I'm lame and lazy and lack sugar and is unable to go on coffee highs anymore due to my recently developed allergy, which sucks because it makes my writing boring and tedious. sighage That and I've got this horrible headache, which developed from playing too much GTA3 on the X-Box (the perspectives changed way too much for my liking, and once you get a tank, everybody just dies!). Anyways...enjoy...

Oh, and Tenshi, yes, sorry about the lack of cute, nerdy Syaoran. I wrote this before I realized that cute, nerdy characters are so glompable sigh. I feel so deprived now that I've forfeited the chance of making Syaoran adorable and huggable. Bleah, one day, I'll make him cute and adorable and nerdy and fandom Hee-chan like! But...bleah, that will have to wait. Curse my writer's blockness...damnit, I'm not even a proper writer! I'm student damnit! And it's making it hard even to do work! insert random other rantage

Anyways, enjoy all.

And a hug to all my reviewers and readers who don't review. Hopefully none of you are too tall, because my experiences with hugging tall people are far less than desired (who enjoys having to stand on tip toes to hug some guy who ends up still having to bend just so that you'll reach! It's damn annoying and further emphasizes my vertical challengedness).

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the anime Card Captor Sakura, nor the characters within it. I do however, own this story, so be kind and do not steal it. No profit is being made from this work of fiction.

**Summary:** Li Syaoran and Kinomoto Sakura are in college, but on completely opposite sides of the social scale. So what will happen when Syaoran AKA The Geek, move in as Sakura's new roommate?

* * *

**Sweet Blindness**

Chapter Two

Syaoran rubbed his eyes under his glasses for the umpteenth time that night. The neon digits of his alarm clock displayed that it was already one thirty AM, yet he was still working. Huge stacks of books littered across his desk while numerous uncoordinated notes took their place both on the desk and a few on the floor. His laptop stood open with a five page long report flashing on the flat screen, still yet to be completed.

His stomach grumbled dully, and he muttered irritably to himself. His last meal had been at one o'clock in the afternoon, and needless to say, he was hungry. However, Sakura was having another sleepover with Tomoyo who seemed to be a regular tenant of the flat. Tomoyo may knew about Syaoran being Sakura's new flat mate, though Sakura certainly didn't know she knew. As a result, Syaoran was left sitting in his room making as little noise as possible as he plowed on with his reports and rearranging his notes, with nothing to eat and only a small sample of water.

He was really starting to regret having agreed unconditionally to Sakura's rules.

The sound of a car somewhere outside jolted the brown haired man out of his revere. Letting out a yawn, he flicked through his text book once again to add yet another footnote to his long report. The words seemed to swirl slightly, and his brain didn't seem to have the capacity to process the information. Instead, the black words shone ominously on the background of white paper with small pictures and diagrams every now and then. Syaoran blinked a few times, hoping to chase away the tiredness. No such luck.

Deciding that he had worked beyond his limits for the day, Syaoran switched off his laptop and lumbered to bed. The soft mattress and warm covers were welcoming, washing away his energy deficiency and sore muscles. His stomach however, remained in pain.

It had been a month since he moved in with Sakura, and it was perhaps the hardest month he had been through since entering the school. True, he had been bullied constantly before. True, some people had used him as a punch bag in his first few weeks of school. However, none of that compared to having absolutely no freedom as to when he wanted to just go outside for a stroll. The window had become a last resort several times, though the fact that it was hovering three meters off the ground (there was a basement beneath) did not make the trip pleasurable at all.

A burst of laughter sounded from the living room, and Syaoran found himself wishing for the two girls to just call it a day and rest so that he could go and get himself something to eat. It was amazing how the two of them were still awake. Then again, he woke up at around five this morning, so it was no wonder he was out of energy.

True to her word, Tomoyo had apparently not told Sakura about him at all. Similarly, she still acted completely indifferent to him on campus, and seemed to be oblivious to his family tree. Whether the reason behind the last statement was because she didn't know or pretended not to know, Syaoran was clueless. Though he was still grateful that that calculating look she had didn't completely rival his own mother's. If she did indeed turn out to be like his dear mother, then he may as well just get up and leave while he was still ahead. His long history of dealings with women like that was not something he enjoyed to reminiscence about.

Another unusual rumble came from his stomach, and he growled irritably at it. He wasn't an idiot, he knew he was hungry. But he couldn't go out of his room now! That would go against the rules Sakura had emphasized so strongly about. Then again, the entire thing was ridiculous, but it was her wish and Syaoran didn't want to upset her normal life just because of his intrusion.

Outside in the lounge room, Sakura and Tomoyo were having an entertaining conversation with each other about something that had happened in Tomoyo's psychology class. Time had flown by, and it was two in the morning before they knew it. However, neither of the two girls felt any drowsiness at all. Though Sakura had a strong suspicion that it was due to the mass amounts of coffee they had drunk earlier on in the night.

Tomoyo laughed again, leaning a bit further against her recliner. She seemed to have something on her mind that she hadn't spoken about yet, though Sakura didn't find that unusual at all. Tomoyo was a perceptive girl who was constantly considering things. Sometimes, it bothered her when Tomoyo would simply sit and glance lazily at her. It seemed as if the violet eyed maiden had the power to see right through her, and read her mind.

'You know Sakura,' Tomoyo began slowly, as if still contemplating whether or not she should say what she was about to say, 'your roommate has been gone for a while, hasn't she.'

Sakura nodded and gulped. She knew that Tomoyo was going to ask that sooner or later, though she had not yet thought of a good excuse. Tomoyo looked thoughtful again for a moment, then started again.

'So what are you using that extra room for now?'

'Just a storage room.' The brunet answered quickly.

'Storage room for what?'

'Oh you know,' Sakura giggled nervously, 'just the usual extra stuff that I can't put in my room.'

'Well, can I check inside then?' Tomoyo asked curiously, getting up as she did so, 'I had a whole lot of extra junk that I've been dumping in Eriol's room. Though if you have an extra spare room, then I could really borrow the space.'

'It's full!' Sakura added nervously, springing to her feet also, 'and it's really messy too.'

'Well, maybe I can help you clean it.' Tomoyo was already at the door, 'and then I can store some stuff in here as well.'

'No no!' Sakura leapt in front of the door, obstructing Tomoyo from further progress, 'I don't want to trouble you.'

'Oh don't worry Sakura, I'll just count it as payback for your helping me clean up my place a while ago.' Tomoyo reached for the door, but Sakura blocked the handle. The raven haired girl gave her a confused look, and she laughed nervously, attempting to convince her that it was full of private items that she didn't want to trouble Tomoyo with. Her friend seemed to be undeterred, and only progressed to push Sakura aside and pull open the door. Sakura gulped painfully, stepping reluctantly to the side as Tomoyo pulled open the door.

Syaoran was still in the process of thinking of a way to sedate his hunger pains when his room's door flung open. He sat up immediately, alarmed that somebody was coming into his room. The door flung against the wall, and Tomoyo stood there. Behind her, a nervous Sakura stood, quivering slightly. Tomoyo's look was one of great surprise, though Syaoran could see the small hint of triumph in her eyes. That look, it so reminded him of one of his sisters, and their ability to conceal all their faults purely in their talent to appear innocent.

'My! What…who…' Tomoyo appeared to be at a loss for words, 'it's Li-san isn't it? What are you doing in Sakura's flat?'

'Uh…' Syaoran glanced quickly at Sakura, who shot him a most anxious look, 'my former roommate kicked me out, and I was left with no place to stay. Sakura-san gave me permission to stay at her place.'

'Really Sakura? I had no idea you were so nice even to Li-san here! But why did you insist on telling me a lie?'

'I…' Sakura was at a loss for words, 'I…I didn't want you to know Li-san is staying here.'

'Why ever not?' Tomoyo asked, her eyes slightly sparkling.

'Because he is a nerd!' Sakura yelled angrily, 'I didn't take him in! He could die for all I care! But the school signed me up with him for flats since his old roommate kicked him out. I don't want him around! It is an embarrassment to have someone like him breathing the same air as me, let alone share a flat with me.'

Her words, though expected, hurt Syaoran slightly. So that was what everyone thought of him. A nerd who was an embarrassment to mankind? That seemed to be pushing the limits a little though, even if they did hate him. Syaoran hadn't expected to be called such a foul name. He took a deep breath to settle his feelings, before turning an impassive face at Tomoyo and her companion.

Tomoyo looked shocked, and this time, there was no mischievous glint in the eyes. She seemed purely shocked that Sakura had burst out so suddenly like that, and had said such awful things. She glanced over at him, eyes full of shock and apology. Syaoran shrugged it off, getting up from his place on the bed.

'Well ladies.' He smiled, 'if we have nothing else to say, then can well all please leave? Unless you want to continue examining the state of my room, I'm going out.'

'Where are you going?' Tomoyo asked distractedly, backing away from the door.

'Just a midnight stroll I suppose,' Syaoran shrugged, 'then I got to get myself something to eat.'

'Oh…' Her voice was still worried.

Syaoran walked out the door, with Sakura now leaning against the wall just outside of his door. He closed the door behind him, and walked by without looking at her. When he got to the door, he bade both girls farewell before walking out the front door, shutting it behind him with a soft snap.

Sakura let out a sigh.

Tomoyo looked disgusted.

Without another word, the dark haired girl collected her things and headed for the door. Sakura made a move to stop her, calling her back just before she reached out to the grasp the handle. Tomoyo swerved around, her eyes filled with rage.

'What is wrong with you Sakura?' Her voice was shaking with fury, 'how could you say that to Li-san? He is just another uni student, just like the rest of us. So what if he's not popular and people think he is a nerd, what has he done to you for you to treat him like trash?'

Sakura was shocked. Tomoyo had never yelled at her before, much less than over somebody like Syaoran. It took her a while to find her voice, but when she did, it was one of arrogance and irritation.

'What's wrong with me Tomoyo? What's wrong with you!' Sakura yelled, 'here is a geek, living in my flat. So what if I treat him like trash, doesn't everyone else? But you don't blow up in their faces? Why…no! Don't tell me you like the nerd! Please Tomoyo, you can do-'

'Sakura, listen to me!' Tomoyo said calmly, her soft voice radiating with suppressed fury, 'Li Syaoran has never done anything to you, and yet you are still treating him like filth. So what if I turned around and started treating you like that for no good reason, how would you feel? What if everyone turned their backs on you Sakura, how would you feel? But no, you wouldn't allow that. You would merge and become as cruel as they are until everyone accepts you. But when that happens, you are no longer Sakura and although others accept you, it is only because you have morphed into one of them and is no longer yourself. Tell me Sakura, what happened to the carefree little girl who came into college with the dream of graduating with a great score and coming out with a boyfriend who actually loves her for who she is, and not because of what she looks like or her popularity? I've been standing beside you, always accepting and helping you through. But I'm sick of it Sakura. Li-san is a nice person, and yet, you end up treating him like a prisoner in you flat. He did nothing wrong to you, but you end up calling him filth and vermin to his face. How would you like it if I called you that?'

Sakura was taken aback. What Tomoyo had said was true, she didn't have a right to treat Syaoran like she did. She may be popular around the campus, but what right did that give her to dominate over him? And yet, he had put up with her and accepted her dominance without question, he had not questioned her actions at all. But Sakura hadn't thought of him as somebody who was tolerant because of that, instead, she had formulated that he was simply a week geek who should do what she said when she said it. Since when did she become such a dictator? Since when did she walk around like she owned the place and that everyone was below her?

Since she met up with Soujiro, that's when. Soujiro was popular, and Sakura was overwhelmed when he had offered to be her boyfriend. But now that she thought about it, their relationship had never been intimate at all. And the numbers of times that she had caught him flirting with another girl was endless, though she just shrugged it off as a typical Soujiro activity. She had tolerated him and changed herself while doing so, leaving this radical tyrant who goes around and terrorizes people she didn't even know.

Tomoyo breathed deeply, then gave Sakura one of her looks. Sakura didn't look at her, she couldn't bring herself too. Not only was her mind a blur, but also the fact that sweet, charming, collected, cool Tomoyo had screamed at her as if there was no tomorrow. She heard Tomoyo move, and she almost expected her to come over and hug her, telling her that it was her fault and not Sakura's. She felt that it was Tomoyo's duty to come over and apologize and convince Sakura that she had never done anything wrong in her life, or that it was purely Syaoran's fault, and that she wouldn't spread anything about their relationship. She thought that it was purely Tomoyo to come over and comfort her and reassure her.

But the front door opened and closed, leaving Sakura alone in the room.

--

The night air was cool, and clearer than usual. There wee few cars going around at the hour, and even fewer people wandering around. Syaoran was amongst the few that did walk around at the hour, though he hardly noticed the rarity of the number of pedestrians around. In fact, he didn't realize much at all. His thoughts were still on the previous scene, with Sakura telling him he was a geek and an insult to humanity. He knew he shouldn't feel bad, and that her telling him that he was a geek was just the same as some other student around the school telling him the same thing. However, he felt particularly hurt at her comment, especially since he had put such an effort into trying to follow by what she wished and staying as far out of her way as possible.

But it was expected, he thought dully, kicking a random piece of rock across the pavement as he walked by, Sakura had displayed her sense of superiority over him from the very moment he walked into that flat. She had set the rules of the game and he had followed them without question, and yet, she still wasn't pleased with him. She still thought of him as vermin. Syaoran scowled, it seemed as if nobody was going to help his pledge against his mother.

No. To say no one was helping him was a lie. Sakura's friend, Daidouji Tomoyo had been attempting to help him, and although she failed, she still tried. Syaoran felt very grateful towards her. It seemed as if she and her boyfriend Eriol (who proved to be a very nice guy who thought of Syaoran as a normal human being) were the only ones who made an effort to understand Syaoran. They had been fair and non-judgmental, and Eriol had even put his reputation on the line to become Syaoran's friend. But the blue haired boy didn't seem to think of his reputation as anything to worry about, rather, helping Syaoran seemed to be more important.

The amber eyed boy released a sigh as he strolled into a Subway takeaway. He bought a twelve inch long sandwich which he stored in a paper bag and carried with him as he walked off. He didn't quite feel like walking around eating, rather, he wanted to get back and eat it in the privacy of his room and fall asleep when he wanted to.

He was crossing the intersection between Yanagi Lane and Sonada Street when he ran into Tomoyo. The blue eyed girl looked harassed and about to cry. Syaoran dashed over quickly, wrapping an arm around her to keep her steady.

'Are you okay Tomoyo-san?' He asked worriedly. Tomoyo shook her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

'Sakura, I yelled at Sakura.' Her voice was soft and without emotion. Syaoran nodded quickly, knowing how close the two girls were. It hurt him to know that he was the reason behind their fight, though the thought that Sakura was probably hurting as well didn't bother him as much as it normally would have should she had been another girl.

'Why don't I take you home?' He offered helpfully, 'tell me Tomoyo-san, where's your flat?'

'Just down the road.' Tomoyo murmured.

With his arms still around Tomoyo, Syaoran walked down the street until they reached Tomoyo's flat. With the key that she passed him, he opened the door and closed behind him. Unlike Sakura and his flat, Tomoyo's was decorated richly and it appeared that she did not have a roommate. Syaoran helped Tomoyo to sit down at the couch before dashing off to the kitchen to make her a cup of tea. Bringing the tea with him, he took a seat beside Tomoyo on the couch and offered her the tea which she took gratefully. His sandwich sat unnoticed on the coffee table.

'Thank you.' The female murmured after a moment, her shivering hands grasped tightly around the cup she was holding. Syaoran pulled it off her and set it on the table quickly, after getting the impression that she was going to drop it.

'Would you like to talk to me about it?' He asked.

'What is there to say?' Tomoyo asked hollowly, 'for the first time ever, I screamed at Sakura! I was just so frustrated with her always dominating tone and how she thought that everyone should listen to what she has to say and follow her orders just because she is Sakura. I was so angry that she treated you like she did. She had no reason to, and it really reminded me of all the poor people who she probably treated like that in the past, and how I had always stood by and watched without complaint, and even cheered her up afterwards, practically encouraging her! But I couldn't do it this time, because you're a really nice person Li-kun, and you don't deserve Sakura's wrath just because she doesn't think of you as "worthy" enough in her opinion.'

She took a deep breath and continued.

'I was so shocked when you told me about what she was requesting of you, and thought it was really nice how you accepted without complaint. You tolerated her, just like you tolerated everyone else, and it still amazes me that you do. You seem to be the peacekeeper, and while everyone makes fun of you, you take it in without comment because you don't want to be the source of quarrels and don't want to hurt anyone. But when Sakura treated you like that today, when she said those horrible things. I just felt like she wasn't my friend anymore. My friend Sakura doesn't degrade people. My friend Sakura does not judge people before she even gets to know them. My friend Sakura does not make people feel bad just for the purpose of making them feel bad. But there she was, telling you that you weren't worth anything, that she was angry she had to share a flat with you! She doesn't even know you, and yet she is being so damn judgmental.'

'Tomoyo-san, like I said before, I really couldn't care less,' Syaoran muttered, 'Sakura-san is like that, and if she thinks that she has the right to treat me like that, she can think that. I don't give a damn. I just have this last year left and then I would be out of college. When that time comes, none of this would have any meaning at all.'

'But Li-kun, college should be a good experience! But you're letting others dominate over you without any resistance.' Tomoyo scolded, 'I don't know why you are doing it, and you must have a pretty good reason. Because if it was me, then I certainly wouldn't be able to carry on like you do. I would have blown up a long time ago, like I did today.'

'Tomoyo-san, don't bash yourself up for it,' Syaoran smiled, 'I appreciate how much you care for me, but really, don't hurt yourself for it. Of course, your ideas of Sakura are you own. I'm just saying not to fight with her just because of me.'

'I'm not fighting because of you,' Tomoyo reached out for the cup of tea, her hand steadier this time, 'I'm fighting with her because she's become a preppy idiot who nobody likes. I'm her best friend, and yet I think so lowly of her. Think how others think of her, and how they backstab her behind her back.'

Syaoran was silent as he leaned against the back of the couch. Tomoyo continued drinking the tea he made, commenting on how nice it tasted and how she had never managed to make tea like it. She was just about to ask what exactly he had put in it when she realized that he had fallen asleep.

Despite herself, Tomoyo couldn't help but find him handsome. His hair was not gelled back like it normally was, and when she removed his glasses, he really did have a beautiful face. It was a shame that other people judged him so quick, and didn't even take the time to think about what association his name may have with the famous heir to the famous Hong Kong family.

Shifting him so that he lay comfortably on his back on the couch, Tomoyo fetched a spare quilt and covered him with it. Turning off the lights, she washed up and went to bed.

The sandwich lay forgotten.

_To be Continued..._

_

* * *

_

Hopefully, you guys found it interesting and worth reading, and hopefully my spelling is correct, because spell-check died (word sucks! Microsoft sucks! They can't create anything that doesn't bloody die! insert more random microsoft bashing). In any case, well, please leave a review because I don't know how to shape my story to what you people like and such otherwise, that and I don't know just how shoddy my writing has become. Bleah, well, at least somebody blew up at Sakura... Yea...review people...

Assassin (still dying from her headache)


End file.
